The Irish Red Cross Society wishes to clarify
that it is not "debt-ridden" as reported in today's Sunday Independent newspaper.The €8.5 million debt referred to in the newspaper does not exist. The Irish Red Cross has no
debt on its balance sheet. The amount referred to in the article is in fact planned spending on a range of overseas humanitarian and disaster-relief projects in 2007.The original
funding for the bulk of such overseas activities was made available thanks to the generosity of the Irish people immediately after the tsunami disaster in Christmas 2004.While donations are
vital to enable the Irish Red Cross to carry out its work at home and abroad, the contribution made by volunteers, staff and overseas delegates in terms of time, expertise and effort is immeasurable
and this generosity has seen the membership of the Irish Red Cross double in the last five years from 3000 to 6000 volunteers throughout the country.EndsFor further information
contact Aoife MacEoin, National Communications Officer at 087-998 3788.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
